


Captain Hardrock Coda

by raynquility



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Miraculous Ladybug - Freeform, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-18
Updated: 2018-05-16
Packaged: 2019-04-24 19:05:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14361726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raynquility/pseuds/raynquility
Summary: These events take place after the episode Captain Hardrock. I tried to stay true to the characters and also play with the timeline of the episodes. I'm probably gonna go way off canon but yeah here we go enjoy~





	1. Festival Fiasco

“Thank you people of Paris. We are Kitty Section! Goodnight!” Rose spoke into the mic. Luka strummed the guitar softly, in the same chords that he had played for her in his room earlier today. Marinette squealed at the memory of her being in his room. She was in a boy’s room, alone. Not only that but a very cute boy who seemed to have similar interests as her. Luka looked towards her and gave her a sly grin. Marinette blushed furiously and ducked her head to hide it. Luka let out a slight chuckle before turning his attention to the blonde boy beside him. Mari leaned as close as she could to hear what they were talking about, while still trying to remain nonchalant.

 

“Hey man you did great. I didn’t think anyone could ever play that ol’ thing.” Luka smiled encouragingly towards Adrien. Adrien smiled at him appreciatively as he rubbed the back of his neck.

 

“Thanks Luka. I never thought I’d get the chance to actually play this without any headphones being plugged in.” Adrien saw the confused look Luka gave him so he went on to clarify. “My mom bought me one of these a while ago but my father never liked me to play anything other than classical piano so I always practiced on this keyboard with headphones plugged in. I’m surprised I sounded decent,” he said sheepishly.

 

Luka gave him a sad smile. “Man that’s rough but yeah you totally did an amazing job. Hey uh you’re friends with Marinette right?” Suddenly Luka looked nervous and his eyes kept darting to the floor.

 

“Yeah of course Marinette’s a very good friend. Why do you ask?” Adrien questioned. He saw Luka swallow heavily and cough a bit. The whole thing was a bit odd but Adrien didn’t want to judge his new friend too quickly.

 

“Doyouknowifshe’ssingle?” Luka said in a rush.

 

“I’m sorry what? I didn’t quite catch that sorry.”

 

Luka sighed. “Do you know if she’s seeing anyone? Like…does she have a boyfriend?” He looked so nervous Adrien was sure he was going to just drop the subject altogether. “Cuz she’s an amazing girl and obviously someone must’ve laid claim to her heart already but I’m too afraid to ask Juleka because she’s definitely gonna tease me about it so I figured I’d ask you cuz you seem cool so,” Luka rambled on when Adrien didn’t answer him right away. He should’ve. He should’ve told him yes, yes Marinette was single. His good friend Marinette who was the kindest, sweetest and talented girl he knew wasn’t off the market yet. But instead what came out was

 

“Why? Do you like her?”

 

He hadn’t meant for it to come off so harsh. He hadn’t meant to say that at all. Luka’s eyes widened at him and he looked absolutely apologetic.

 

“Oh god I’m so sorry Adrien. Crap, I didn’t know you liked her. I’ll back off dude really my bad.” He started to turn away from Adrien, a deep red blush staining his cheeks. Adrien collected himself.

 

“No no no Luka that’s not it. I don’t like Marinette at all. She’s just—just a friend! A very good friend. I uh—can help you get a date with her if you want!”

 

Something felt wrong with the words he was saying. But Adrien just chalked it up to overprotectiveness to his friend. He didn’t know Luka that well and though he was really nice to him, he felt wrong for saying he could set them up. What if Marinette said no? What if she got angry at him for even assuming that should would wanna date Luka?

 

Luka smiled at him appreciatively. “Thanks man but I can do that on my own. I just wanted to make sure she wasn’t seeing anyone.” Luka began packing his guitar carefully as Adrien began to pack the keyboard. Both of them unaware of the blue haired girl standing with tears in eyes and resolve in her heart.


	2. A new beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luka finds Marinette at the bakery, after some awkward questioning to his sister, to ask her a very important question.

A sliver of soft sunlight peeked through Marinette’s room. She gently rubbed her eyes as she looked at the time on her bed. She was up in an instant! 9 a.m.?! How could it be so late? It was Saturday, aka the bakery’s busiest day of the week. Endless amount of people came pouring I every hour to get their hands on the treats they couldn’t get during the week. Usually Marinette would wake up early with her parents and stay as long as she could. She knew her parents must be waiting for her. Her thoughts filled with all the customers that her poor parents had to deal with on their own. Without even getting dressed or even fully waking up, Marinette rushed down the stairs only to find the bakery empty apart from her parents and two customers. Sabine was handing the last customer their bag when she noticed Mari at the end of the stairs.

 

“Ah Marinette you’re up? Go back to sleep darling what are you doing?” Sabine walked over to shoo her back up the stairs but Marinette held her ground.

 

“Mama, papa, it’s Saturday! I always help you two on Saturday! Why didn’t you wake me?”

 

“Oh Marinette we know. But with the music festival yesterday we knew how tired you’d be, especially since you missed your curfew by twenty minutes, we figured we’d handle it on our own,” Tom assured her. Marinette didn’t miss his disapproving tone when he mentioned the curfew situation but seeing as he didn’t seem so angry, she let it go. She thought back to what happened the night prior, she didn’t want to but she couldn’t stop the sudden flashback that washed over her.

 

 

_She couldn’t cry. Not here, not now. No, she wouldn’t cry in front of both Luka and Adrien. Marinette blinked back the tears and swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. She wasn’t okay, but she’d be damned if she couldn’t fake it. Luka turned towards her first, clueless to her eavesdropping._

__

 

__

_“Hey Marinette wanna give me a hand at putting this stuff ‘away’?” He put air quotes around the word away, knowing all too well that his mother couldn’t care less about where they decided to store the instruments. Quickly composing herself, Mari plastered a smile onto her face and picked up the guitar from beside Luka and began walking towards his cabin. Luka followed her and Adrien was wrapping up the cables and placing them into a box._

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_Once in Luka’s cabin, Marinette places the guitar in the drawer beneath his bed where she had hid earlier that day. Luka set the keyboard in the drawer as well. Marinette winced at what the two objects represented to her in that moment, thankfully Luka’s back was to her so he didn’t notice. Luka sat on his bed, watching Mari with careful eyes._

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_“Hey so um I wanted to say thanks for what you did today. If you hadn’t alerted Ladybug my mom probably would have done more damage than what she did.” Luka’s smile he gave her seemed to do weird things to her heart. She wondered if he could feel it, like he had before._

_____ _

__

_____ _

 

_____ _

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_“Ah. Yeah no problem. I just you know swam as fast as I could to shore and luckily Ladybug was nearby! Yeah!” She explained lamely. Luka gave her a curious look but shrugged his shoulders._

______ _ _

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______ _ _

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_“Once again, you’re amazing Marinette. So there’s something else I wanted to tell you. Well, actually, something I wanted to ask you.” This was it. He was going to ask her on a date. Marinette’s heart jumped to her throat as she waited patiently for the words to come out of his mouth, even though she wasn’t sure what her response would be._

_______ _ _ _

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_______ _ _ _

 

_______ _ _ _

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_______ _ _ _

_“Do you still have that guitar pick I gave you?” He seemed quite nervous and honestly, it was endearing. Marinette genuinely smiled at the fact that she was able to make such a cute, wonderful boy blush and stutter, much like did around Adrien. Marinette pulled out the pick from her purse and held it up to Luka._

________ _ _ _ _

__

________ _ _ _ _

 

________ _ _ _ _

__

________ _ _ _ _

_“Did—Did you want it back?” She asked, suddenly nervous herself. Maybe she was reading the situation wrong. Maybe she read into it too much. Before her thoughts could go more south Luka spoke._

_________ _ _ _ _ _

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_________ _ _ _ _ _

 

_________ _ _ _ _ _

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_________ _ _ _ _ _

_“No! No, I uh I want you to keep it! I just—I had an idea what to do it with it so you’ll never lose it!” He shot up from the bed, taking the pic from her hand, and sat at his desk. He got some sort of tool she couldn’t quite see and he began fiddling with the pick. He pulled a chain from one of the drawers in his desk and slid the guitar pick onto it. He stood up and rushed back onto the bed. The necklace dangled between his two fingers. Marinette was speechless. Luka moved around behind Marinette and slid chain around her neck, the pick resting just above her breast. She could feel his warm breath on her neck that heated her cheeks to a fiery red. Luka moved back around to face her, gazing into her eyes. Time seemed to stand still. Neither of them moved or said a word, afraid to ruin this perfect moment. Luka opened his mouth to say something when the door to his cabin opened with a bang as Alya walked in. The couple flew off the bed in lightning fast speed. Alya’s eyes grew wide and her expression became sheepish._

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

__

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

 

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

__

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

_“Something tells me this isn’t the bathroom huh?”_

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

 

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

 

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

Coming back to the present, Marinette shook off the memory before her parents could become concerned why she fell silent. “Well since you’re letting me off the hook I think I’m going to go have a quick breakfast before I come back to help you guys!” Her parents nodded in approval she she hurried up the stairs. Before she could make it all the way to the top step, the doorbell rang and she heard a familiar deep voice come from below.

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

 

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Hello sir, ma’am. My name’s Luka. I’m a friend of Marinette’s. Is she—she here?” Luka’s voice sounded even more nervous than it did the night before. Without thinking, Mari ran down the stairs and tripped over the last step. Luka rushed over and caught her before she could face plant into the floor. He held her at arms length but that didn’t stop the palpitations in her heart nor the blush that rushed to her cheeks. Luka steadied her carefully and held her hand until Tom cleared his throat. The way he dropped her hand was as if he had been electrocuted.

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

 

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Uh—hi Ma—Marinette!” He squeaked out much like she had when they first met. “I—I was hoping to ask you something that I didn’t get a chance to last night. Would you like to go see a movie with me on Friday?” Luka looked to his left and Marinette’s parents were looking straight at him. “Ah! Of course if—if that’s okay with your parents! Obviously yes mmhmm!” Luka was so flustered it was endearing. Marinette’s heart soared because she never thought she’d have someone acting around her the way she acted around Adrien.

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

 

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Of course Luka! Pick me up at 7?” Marinette said with a wink. Luka looked towards Tom and Sabine as they both gave him warm smiles and nodded their heads. Luka, who looked like he had been holding his breath the whole time, smiled warmly at Mari.

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

 

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

“See you on Friday Mari.”

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to add notes to the last chapter but anyway I originally posted this on Tumblr but I find it easier to work with this site so! I'll be updating it on here from now now haha.  
> Also I said this story would be 5 chapters at most but I'm a dirty liar lmao it's probs gonna be 10 haha  
> Don't forget to leave your love <3


	3. First Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> LUKANETTE DATE. THAT'S IT.

Luka arrived fifteen minutes before seven on Friday night. He dressed in a black button up with his usual black distressed jeans and converse. He felt a little bold so he added some smudged liner to his eyes, hopefully it wouldn’t scare her parents to badly. He took a deep breath before he knocked on the door of the bakery. The door swung open revealing Sabine and Tom looking at him curiously before turning to look at the clock on the wall.

 

“Hello Mr. Dupain, Mrs. Cheng. I got here a little early because there’s been a change of plans.” They looked at him skeptically but nodded and offered him a small smile. “I had planned on taking Marinette to the movies but unfortunately they closed down today due to a small fire. But the good news is a long time friend of my mom’s opened up an arcade and he gave us unlimited game passes. Here’s the address to the arcade so you don’t worry about where we are.” Luka handed them a business card with the information of the arcade. Tom and Sabine looked genuinely surprised.

 

“Oh, well thank you for letting us know ahead of time Luka. That’s very sweet of you. Marinette should be down in a few minutes. Would you like something to eat before she does?” Sabine’s smile was more warm and welcoming than before which made Luka sigh in relief.

 

“Oh thank you Mrs. Cheng that would be lovely,” Luka returned her inviting smile. Tom turned towards the back of bakery and disappeared behind the door in a huff. Sabine shook her head in his direction.

 

“Oh don’t mind him Luka. He’s just a little grumpy that his baby girl is going on her first date ever,” Sabine said apologetically. Luka shook his head at her.  
“No need to worry Mrs. Cheng I completely understand and respect his feelings. If there’s anything either of you’d like to know about me, that’s why I came a little early; to ease your minds about who your daughter is going out with.” Luka sounded way more confident than he felt. He had rehearsed enough time to Juleka and his mother so many times they almost threw him overboard. Tom emerged from the doorway with a six pack of macaroons and a cup of hot tea. Tom’s smile was absolutely blinding as he lead the two into the sitting area.  
“Thank you for that Luka. I do admit it makes me sad that my little Mari isn’t so little anymore but I feel much better knowing she’s in good hands,” Tom beamed. Luka’s smile widened and just as he was about to speak, the breath got knocked out of him when he spotted Marinette at the end of the stairway.

 

Marinette switched her usual pigtails for long, loose curls that framed her face perfectly. Instead of her usual mascara and chapstick, her eyes were lined with kohl, making them even bluer than usual. Her lips were a deep maroon. She traded her white shirt and Capri attire for a green high waisted plaid skirt with black sheer tights, a black long sleeve crop top and combat boots. But the thing that took Luka’s breath away the most was the guitar pick necklace she wore around her neck still. She’s heart stopping, thought Luka. He tried so very hard to say something but his mouth kept opening and closing like a fish out of water. Marinette and her parents giggles broke the silence.

 

“You okay there Luka?” Her voice sounded far away. Luka stood up and walked over to her, a thousand things he could say but what came out was

 

“Gorgiful.”

 

Marinette broke into a fit of laughter along with her parents. Luka blushed the deepest red possible but eventually laughed along with them. He grabbed his cup of tea to clear the knot in his throat. After drinking it he cleared his throat and turned back towards Marinette.

 

“Sorry Marinette you just—you just look so radiant I got my words all mixed up.” Mari could see his sheepish expression so she reached out to squeeze his arm. That gesture seemed to relax him as his skin returned to its usual pale color.  
“Don’t worry about it Luka. If it helps, I think you look handsome as well,” her eyes raked over him. He caught her eye and held it contact with her, leaving her a blushing mess. He winked at her and whispered, “gotcha” just low enough for her parents not to hear. He stood up from his seat and held his hand to Mari. She took his hand into hers and smiled.

 

“Okay now remember your curfew Marinette,” Tom chided. Sabine smacked his shoulder playfully. “Oh honey! Marinette you can stay out an extra half hour because Luka was gracious enough to let us know about the change of plans.”  
Marinette looked at Luka confused. “Change of plans? What? Does the movie start later than you said?” The trio giggles to each other, excluding Mari on the apparent inside joke.

 

“Oh you’ll see,” was all Luka said before they bid their goodbyes to her parents and walked out into the night.

 

The cab that Luka had called before arriving to Marinette’s house was already waiting for them outside. Luka gave the driver the address to a location that Mari didn’t recognize.

 

“Um Luka, that’s not the theaters address.” Luka smiled mischievously.  
“I know,” was all he said before he intertwined his fingers with hers. Marinette was so caught off guard she had forgotten to ask where they were going. The driver played soft music as they rode in a comfortable silence. They arrived to their location and got out after Luka handed the driver the money owed. The place they stood in front of was huge and had neon lights everywhere. There were people lined up outside, waiting to get in. After reading the sign Marinette said, “Arcade? I didn’t even know we had an arcade this huge.”

 

“Yeah, it belongs to my mom’s old friend. He gave me these unlimited game passes to celebrate their grand opening tonight and since the theater was closed today I figured this was a better idea.” Marinette’s eyes grew wide when she heard unlimited. She grabbed Luka’s hand again and hauled him towards the end of the line. Luka chuckled as he steered her behind the arcade.

 

“Actually we’re going through the back. Michael gave me a key so we didn’t have to wait in line.” Mari raised her brows in surprise. Once they were in the building they were hit with loud music and bright lights. They walked hand in hand over towards the games. The first one they arrived to was DDR of all games. Marinette was a pretty good dancer but she always got nervous in front of people. Luka saw her hesitation.

 

“We can play another game if you want.”

 

Marinette was surprised she heard him and even more surprised that he could read her so well. “No! Ah it’s fine I’d love to have this dance with you! I mean yeah let’s dance!” Luka giggled at her silliness but didn’t tease her like before. The game started once they were in position. They each hit the marks on the screen precisely without much trouble. The music playing in the arcade was pumping through their veins and suddenly they were both adding their own style to the moves on the screen. The game ended in a tie, leaving them both breathless.

 

The night went on much like that the whole time. The only game that Luka won was spider stomp. Marinette was still grumbling about it when they went to the concession stand to get a snack and some drinks.

 

“I totally would’ve won if you hadn’t cheated!”

 

“I hardly would call me swooping you from behind to move you out of my way ‘cheating’ m’lady,” Luka teased. Marinette choked on her soda, practically hacking up a lung. M’lady? She looked at Luka with her eyes wider than humanly possible. “What? Did I say something wrong?” Marinette excused herself to the restroom as fast as she could. She bumped into several people on the way but she finally made it. After double-checking that she was alone she opened her bag and out flew her little kwami.

 

“Tikki I think I’m on a date with Chat Noir!” Marinette was officially freaking out. How could it be possible? She had unknowingly agreed to go on a date with her partner’s civilian self. This was bad. This was so bad. She didn’t like Chat Noir! Or did she? It was all so confusing but before she could spiral into madness Tikki bopped her nose.

 

“Marinette! Calm down! Breathe! It’s not him I can assure you!”

 

“How can you be so sure Tikki?! He just called me M’lady! Does he know it’s me? Oh my god I blew my cover Tikki!”

 

“MARINETTE CALM DOWN! Remember I actually know who Chat Noir is! It’s not Luka now please calm down and go apologize to that nice boy.” Tikki kissed her nose and went back into her purse. Marinette went to the sink and splashed some water onto her neck to calm her rapidly beating heart. Once she was sufficiently put together, Marinette stepped back into the arcade. Finding Luka wasn’t as hard as she thought because he had followed her and waited outside the restroom for her. She walked towards him with an embarrassed expression.  
“I’m so sorry about that Luka, I really felt dizzy after that coughing fit so I just needed to get myself together. I’m really sor—“ Luka cut her off with a shake of his hands.

 

“Don’t apologize Marinette it’s totally cool. But hey it’s almost time to get you home so we should get going now.” He held his hand out for her and she laced her fingers through his. He gave her a reassuring squeeze and they made their way towards the exit. Marinette happened to see the time on the clock above the exit on their way out. She turned to look at Luka curiously.

 

“Wait, Luka, remember my mom said I could stay out a half hour longer than my curfew.” Luka grinned to himself.

 

“I remembered, I just have a surprise for you is all.” Marinette’s heart kicked into overdrive. They walked towards the Eiffel Tower which wasn’t too far from the arcade they were in. The night was fresh and silent. The lights of the Paris streets shone dimly on the roads. A faint sound of a violin could be heard in the distance. Marinette felt bold and leaned into Luka’s side, sighing contented. Luka blushed slightly as he let go of Marinette’s hand to wrap his arm around her.

 

Ahead of them, right under the tower, was Andre, the sweetheart ice cream man. If Marinette’s heart was in overdrive before, it was positively beating out of her chest now. They approached Andre’s cart and Andre was already walking around to greet them.

 

“Luka my boy! I’m so happy-a to see you! And Marinette-a I hope-a we have a better experience this time around! Let me get the ice cream for you two lovebirds to share!” Before either of them could protest he was behind the cart serving them their ice cream.

 

“Blueberry for your matching orbs. Blackberry just like your hairs. And rose ice cream to seal your love forevermore!” Andre handed them the ice cream with a wink.

 

“Thank you Andre I truly appreciate you doing this for me, I know you don’t usually give out your location but—“ Andre waved his scooper at him, cutting him off before he could finish his sentence.

 

“Don’t worry about it Luka my boy you know you and your family are very near to Andre’s heart! Have a nice night lovebirds!” Andre wheeled his cart away from the duo, leaving them under the dim lights shining onto the tower. The two began to eat their ice cream. They made small talk in between bites, just taking turns asking each other questions about themselves. Alas, time passed faster than Marinette would’ve liked. Luka pulled out his phone from his pocket to call them a cab. They finished their ice cream and climbed into the back of the cab. Once they sat down, Luka reached for her hand and held it the whole way home, both of them a blushing mess.

 

“I had a really great time tonight Luka. Thank you,” Marinette said once they were out of the cab in front of the bakery. “It’s the best date I’ve ever been on.”

 

“I’m glad you enjoyed yourself Marinette and I really enjoyed getting to know you more. I uh I—I wanted to ask you something,” he was suddenly nervous. He looked to the ground and away from her.

 

Marinette’s heart was beating so fast she swore it was going to burst through her chest. She stepped into his space, using her fingers to lift his chin up. Blue eyes met and it was just like in his cabin, time seemed to stop altogether. Their breaths mixed into the air.

 

“Ask me,” Marinette breathed, her lips dangerously close to Luka’s.

 

“Will you be my girlfriend?” his voice was barely above a whisper but it felt like a sonic boom to her heart. The air around them grew thick, almost suffocating them. They closed the space between them with a single movement. His lips felt soft against hers, sparks flying from behind their eyelids. It felt like they were sculpted exactly for the other, molding perfectly together. Luka wrapped his arms around her waist as Marinette curled her hands into his hair, pulling him flush against her body. They pulled apart after what seemed to be hours. Luka’s pupils were blown out, matching with the bluenette he held in his arms. The smile he offered her was full of adoration, which she returned with just as much.

 

 

 

“Yes,” she said finally. “Yes I’ll be your girlfriend.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was by FAR my fav chapter to write ohmygodddddd it's so cute! Eat your heart out my fellow Lukanette shippers <3


	4. Adrien is Lukanette trash bc reasons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of people were like, 'this is cute but where's Adrien in all this?'
> 
> Oh...OH he's here trust me. I love Luka but my heart is big enough to share with my sunshine boi. But I gotta write it out so y'all can believe me so here he isssss.

Friday came without much fanfare for Adrien. Once he arrived home, he notified Nathalie that he would be taking dinner in his room. Nathalie looked shocked but Adrien ignored her quizzical stare and went up to his room. If his father couldn’t be bothered to join him for dinner then why should he? After kicking off his shoes, Adrien sat down in front of his piano and began mindlessly playing it. His thoughts drifted to the conversation he overheard between his two friends who sat behind him.

 

_“Sooo c’mon girl give me all the deets! Where is he taking you? Have you guys talked at all since the festival? Has the compass finally found a new course?” Alya’s questions came out like rapid fire. Marinette hardly said a syllable before a new question fell from Alya’s lips. Adrien smiled to himself as he kept working on the assignment Ms. Bustier has given them. Try as hard as he could, he couldn’t tune out their conversation. Adrien knew he should mind his business but he was genuinely curious about how things were going between Luka and Marinette. From what his new friend told him, Luka was absolutely smitten by the bluenette. Adrien smiled at the memory of the text messages Luka sent asking Adrien advice on what to say to Marinette. There was something oddly familiar about how flustered he was about her but he couldn’t quite place it.  
Alya’s sudden gasp brought his attention back to the present. “Do you think Luka has seen those photos of you and Adrien?”_

_“Alya!” Marinette hissed. “Keep your voice down!” She turned her gaze towards him but thankfully Adrien’s cat-like reflexes kicked in just in time for him to suddenly look very occupied with his work. “Anyway,” she continued when she deemed it safe to speak again. “I don’t think he’s seen them. Luka says he doesn’t really go on social media. He doesn’t even have an Instagram for crying out loud.”_

__

_Adrien frowned. He had completely forgotten to tell Nathalie to dispel the rumors of Marinette being his girlfriend. That had been an awkward conversation with his father for sure but still, he should’ve had it taken care of. He quickly pulled out his phone and sent a text to Nathalie to do so now. He didn’t want to come between his new friend and his best friend; he truly believed that Marinette deserved to be happy with Luka. Nathalie texted back with a link to his official Facebook account. He read it discreetly; it sounded very professional but still like he wrote it. The message was very clear: Marinette and Adrien were nothing but very good friends. Taking a quick look around the classroom to make sure Ms. Bustier was still grading papers, Adrien sent the link to Luka.  
A faint vibration could be heard from behind him. “Oh my gosh it’s him Alya! I shouldn’t have texted him ohmygod he’s going to cancel on me!” Marinette’s voice sounded so worried that Adrien almost wanted to just turn around and explain to her that he took care of it. But he couldn’t do that; she couldn’t know that he was eavesdropping on them. “Oh,” Marinette gasped at her phone. “He says he just read the statement? What’s he talking about?” Alya was already typing rapidly on her phone. Her eyes went wide as she slowly slid her phone towards Marinette. Adrien smiled mischievously to himself and turned his attention back to the papers on his desk; painfully unaware of the silent tear that slid down his best friend’s face just then._

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____Adrien shook his head at the memory once he realized he was playing the same key over and over again. He groaned as he closed up his piano. Plagg was eating cheese on top of his piano noisily._ _ _ _

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____“What’s wrong kid?”_ _ _ _

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____“Nothing Plagg I’m just bummed about being home on a Friday night...again.” Adrien’s phone rang at that moment. Plagg raised his tiny brow but continued eating his Camembert. Adrien answered on the third ring._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“Dude do you ever take your phone off vibrate or do you purposely just ignore everyone on a Friday night?” Nino’s voice came from the phone.  
“I was practicing piano. Guess I didn’t hear it. What’s up Nino?”_ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“I’m assuming you haven’t seen the texts in our group chat so I’ll catch you up. Luka’s family friend opened a new arcade by the tower. Kim and Max are already in line but Luka says he can get us in faster. You in?” The proposition sounded tempting. Adrien had never been to an arcade before and he loved playing video games. It was perfect. There was only one problem._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Adrien sighed into the phone, “Sorry man I don’t think I’m gonna be able to join you guys.” Nino could practically feel the disappointment through the phone but he didn’t want Adrien to give up just yet._ _ _ _

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____“Just try asking him bro. We won’t mind if you gotta bring your bodyguard.”_ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Just as Adrien was about to tell him it was pointless either way, he heard a knock on his bedroom door.  
“Son?” his father’s voice came from behind the door. “May I come in?” Gabriel entered before he got a proper response. He stood tall before Adrien, his face showing some sort of emotion that Adrien couldn’t place. “A friend of your mothers reached out to me about allowing you to go to an arcade he just opened. I expect you to respect your curfew as Gorilla will pick you up at precisely that time. Get dressed.” Adrien’s mouth flew to the floor. Did—did he hear that correctly? Did his father just give him permission to go out? On a Friday night? With no bodyguard? His mind must be playing games on him. This couldn’t be true. Gabriel exited his room without any further dialogue. Laughter coming from his phone was what finally snapped Adrien back into reality._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“Dude! Luka really did come through! That guy is so dope. Didn’t think that would work honestly,” Nino said in awe.  
Adrien gripped his phone tightly. “What did he do Nino?”_ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“Dude you seriously didn’t read any of the texts did you? Well turns out this Michael dude knew your mom and Luka’s mom. High school friends or something like that. Anyway when Luka told him that you might not be able to come, Michael said he’d take care of it.” Nino’s words weren’t making sense. As far as he knew his mother didn’t go to school in Paris. She was from England and then moved to Paris to follow her dream of being a designer, or so his father told him that night they watched her movie together and Adrien noticed she had a different accent than they did. Adrien’s mind was spinning at the thousand possibilities of what this Michael could tell him about his mother. Did he know what happened to her?_ _ _ _

____ _ _

______“Adrien!” Nino screamed on the phone, effectively shutting down all of the thoughts running through his head. “So what time should we pick you up bro?” It was 7:00 when Nino’s parents’ car pulled up in front of his mansion. Adrien bid Nathalie and his bodyguard a goodbye as he slid into the car. Alya waved hello at him and he returned it happily. His whole body was buzzing with excitement. He looked down at his attire for the hundredth time since he put it on. He wore a white button up with a dark blue sweater on top of it, dark brown khakis and his favorite dark blue vans. Alya noticed his scrutiny of his outfit and spoke up.  
“You look fine Adrien but since we don’t have your bodyguard with us I suggest you wear this,” she handed him a dark blue beanie and thick rimmed glasses. “They’re fake so don’t worry about going blind.” Alya winked at him cheekily. He slid the beanie over his blonde hair and put the glasses on his face. They felt on the bridge of his nose but he didn’t mind them too much, he was too excited to be going out with his friends. They picked up Alix on their way and arrived to the location shortly after. A tall, blonde, green-eyed man greeted them as soon as they exited their car. Something about his features reminded Adrien of someone but—  
“Ello there kiddos!” The man’s thick English accent rang in his ears, reminding him much of his mother’s. “Come this way! And here take these and enjoy yourselves!” He handed them passes that said unlimited. Everyone squealed in excitement while Adrien stared in awe at the man. All too soon they were rushing into the building and Adrien lost sight of Michael, despite his best efforts. He made a mental note to ask Luka about him when he got a chance. His group of friends immediately went towards the brightest game in the arcade. The music blasting over the speakers made it hard to hear but he swore he had heard Marinette’s name being mentioned. Dance dance revolution was occupied so Adrien logically thought they’d seek out another game, until he saw the two players standing on the game.  
Marinette and Luka began playing against each other, both of them hitting the mark flawlessly each time. Eventually they added their own twist to the dance moves and made the game more challenging. Adrien was in a trance watching how fluently and non-clumsy Marinette was dancing. Gone was the girl that seemed to trip over air; in her place was a graceful woman dancing like he’d never seen before. All too soon the game ended and Adrien could see that they were out of breath. He started to walk towards his friends when Alya grabbed him by the arm. 

____ _ _

____“Nuh uh blondie we’re gonna leave the happy couple alone on their date capiche?” He looked back towards the duo and realized they were holding hands and gazing deeply into each other’s eyes, their smiles as wide as they could be. Adrien smiled sheepishly and followed Alya, Nino and Alix towards the other side of the arcade.  
Adrien was having an absolute blast. He couldn’t remember a time where he had felt so happy and free being himself, not being Chat Noir. He dominated just about every game they played, much to Alix’s annoyance. She kept teasing him the whole night saying that someone was going to beat him at something eventually. Oh boy, was she ever wrong. They came across Kim and Max in an intense game of Mecha Strike III. Kim cried out when the screen flashed Max’s victory._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“Seriously Max no one can beat you! You’re amazing,” Kim smiled at Max, making the smaller boy blush a deep pink._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“Thanks Kim,” Max leaned to give Kim a kiss on the cheek, which in turn made Kim blush even more than he was._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Adrien strut up towards the duo and tapped their shoulders. “I think I can take you Max,” he said in his best Chat Noir voice. Max startled but then composed his face quickly as Kim gave the remote to Adrien._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“You’re on Agreste,” was all he said before the two got into the match of a lifetime._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“NO WAY I CALL HACKS,” Max yelled after his screen flashed red, signaling his defeat. Everyone burst into a fit of laughter as Max continued to grumble to himself. Kim put his arms around the boy and kissed his cheek, trying to calm him down._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“C’mon babe lets go get some snacks huh? My treat.” Kim grabbed Max’s hand and they headed off towards the concession stand. Alya and Nino followed right after them. Alix turned towards Adrien._ _ _ _

____ _ _

______“Wanna get one more game in? I’m determined to beat you in something.” Adrien nodded his head and they found the first game that seemed empty from far away. Once they got closer, Adrien immediately recognized the dark haired duo playing spider stomp. From what Adrien could see, Marinette was winning with Luka not far behind. Suddenly Luka wrapped his arm around Marinette’s waist and dipped her dangerously low to the floor and used his left leg to tap the middle spider, the one worth more points. Marinette’s cheeks were a deep red as soon as the game ended, declaring Luka the winner. Adrien looked away when he saw how intimate the moment was. He grabbed Alix by the arm and steered her towards their other friends. She would just have to deal with the fact that he was just too good. They arrived at the concession stand in time to see Marinette practically choke on her drink as she spit it out. The group turned to look at her and before anyone could move, she was zipping in and out of the way towards the bathroom. Nino and Alya has already approached a very puzzled looking Luka so Adrien went after Marinette. She looked so pale and dazed when she entered the restroom. Adrien wished so badly that he could follow her into there to see what had happened for her to become so freaked out. He stood close to the door and opened it a little to hear what she was saying but the music was still so loud he could only hear certain words. “He called me” “partner” “does he” “calm down” “apologize” was all Adrien could hear and it didn’t make a lick of sense. He pulled away from the door once he heard the sink running. He crashed into Luka while trying to make his getaway. Luka caught him before he could fall.  
“Adrien?” His eye flew open wide. “What are you doing?” Adrien removed himself from Luka’s arms and readjusted his glasses.  
“I saw that Marinette was upset so I followed her but she went into the bathroom. I don’t know what happened but she seems really embarrassed so try being gentle with her. Marinette is easily flustered and hates being embarrassed. I’ll leave you guys to work things out. Good luck bro!” Adrien patted Luka’s shoulders in encouragement as he made his way towards his group. 

____ _ _

____His curfew came far too early. Adrien bid his friends goodbye and made his way towards the exit. He stepped outside and immediately saw the dark haired pair just ahead of him. Thinking on his feet was second nature to him since he became Ladybug’s partner. Gorilla hasn’t arrived yet so he ran toward a man just across the arcade with a small instrument in his arms._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“Here,” Adrien said breathlessly. He handed the man 100£. The mans eyes widened. “Play something romantic for that couple over there. Thank you!” Adrien sprinted back to the arcade in time for Gorilla to pull up in their car. Adrien slid in and smiled widely at his bodyguard. Tonight was everything he had ever wanted. They arrived to his home and he went right to his room to get ready for bed. He pulled out his phone and sent out a single text before he put it to charge and he went to bed._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____ _ _

____ _ _

____**To Luka Couffaine:  
**You can thank me later for the music ;) hope it helps win her over!**** _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have some KimxMax bc I seriously hardcore ship tf outta them. Don't worry Julerose is coming soon ;)  
> And dear Lord Jesus someone for the love of god draw Adrien in thick rimmed glasses bc I NEED it but i have zero artistic talent lmao  
> Serious question: do y'all mind all the flashbacks? idk I just suck at writing in the present tense lmao but idk lemme know how y'all liked this chapter!  
> *avoids talking about my secret OC bc I threw it in there hoping no one would notice but everyone is probs gonna notice so* *sweats*


	5. Bright

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little Luka serenade, a little Lukadrien bromance and hey a little teaser of Troublemaker!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song I used is Bright by Echosmith but the Future Sunsets cover of it, if you wanna listen to it while reading this chapter!

If someone had told Marinette that essentially leading a double-life would only become harder once she got into a relationship...she probably still would’ve said yes. She was a teenage girl after all. It had only been six months since that fateful night that she kissed Luka under the Paris moonlight. Five months since he officially enrolled to her school instead of being home-schooled. Since he was a year older than her, they didn’t have any classes together but they, thankfully, still shared lunch and all their breaks together. To anyone else, this would’ve been more than enough time for their first relationship. Sadly, it never was for Marinette. If she wasn’t making up some half-assed excuse why she had to leave or cancel patrols with Chat Noir she was running away from Luka’s view every time there was an akuma attack during school. And Luka, oh dear Sweet Luka, would always spend the entire time looking everywhere for her, sometimes even putting himself at risk when doing so. Marinette did her best to keep him away, using her best superhero voice when speaking to her boyfriend. But Luka was so utterly smitten with Marinette he was willing to risk it, every single damn time.   
But oh did she cherish the moments she did get with Luka. He always brought his guitar with him to school to “practice” for his band but it was really to serenade her every chance he got. She remembered the first time she ever heard his angelic voice, singing so softly she almost cried from the sheer emotion coming from it. 

 

 

_The bell rung signaling the end of the day. Marinette began packing her things as fast as she could. Today was her four month anniversary with Luka and she was really excited to give him the present she got him. They had celebrated the other three anniversaries without much fanfare so she expected just as much for this one. Still, she couldn’t wait to see what he had gotten for her. Everyone seemed to be in a rush as well and they all filed out the room quickly. Just as Marinette was about to put away her sketchbook, a pale hand she recognized so well slammed on top of it. She squeaked and stared at Adrien with wide eyes. He smiled at her nervously and her heart began to beat erratically. She silently cursed herself for still getting this way around him even when she had an amazing boyfriend._

_“Hey Marinette can I ask you something?” Adrien said too innocently._

_Marinette tilted her head at him. “Yes of course. Anything,” she said too enthusiastically. She mentally slapped herself as she tried to calm her rapid heartbeat. This was it. He was going to ask her out, confess to her that she’s the girl of his dreams. Her heart wound up tightly at the thought of breaking Luka’s heart but she couldn’t help her hopeful heart. He would understand right?_

_“Could you help me make a dress for Kagami? It’s her birthday next week and I wanna get her something special so I thought I’d ask you since you’re so good at making things. Here’s a rough design sketch I made if that helps.” Adrien’s voice rose several octaves, his smile becoming more and more forced. He held out a piece of paper towards her, on it was a Chat Noir inspired corseted dress. But Marinette didn’t notice any of that, she was hyper-focused on the word “special.” Kagami had become someone ‘special’ to Adrien. Suddenly she didn’t need to focus so hard on her heartbeat, cause it had slowed down as soon as she heard that name fall from his lips. She shook her head slightly, trying to clear her thoughts and composed herself enough to answer him._

_“Sure just—just give me her measurements and I’ll be happy to help you,” she grabbed the paper out of his hands and shoved it into her bag along with her sketchbook. Adrien’s phone rang and he checked to see he had a message from someone._

_“Okay! We can go now! Uhh I mean, thanks Marinette I appreciate it gotta go bye!” He ran outside the door so fast Marinette didn’t get a chance to say anything. She held her head up high. Luka was her boyfriend and if Adrien couldn’t see what great person she was then that was his loss. She headed toward the exit of her school, Luka’s present in her hand when she heard guitar strings being strummed. The sound of it completely had all of Mari’s attention as she descended the stairs. Luka played his guitar on what seemed to be a makeshift stage. The melody he was playing sounded oddly familiar._

 

“I think the universe is on my side   
Heaven and earth have finally aligned   
Days are good and that's they way it should be,” 

_Luka’s voice sounded soft and it hit Mari straight to her heart._

 

“You sprinkle stardust on my pillow case   
It's like a moon beam brushed across my face   
Nights are good and that's the way it should be   
You make me sing oh, la, la, la   
You make me go oh oh   
I'm in love, love 

 

_Marinette blushed a deep red. Love. He said he was in love! The song continued and she was hanging on every single word. She barely noticed that someone else’s voice was harmonizing along with Luka’s._

 

Did you see that shooting star tonight?   
Were you dazzled by the same constellation?   
Did you and Jupiter conspire to get me?   
I think you and the Moon and Neptune got it right   
'Cause now I'm shining bright, so bright   
Bright, so bright   
And I see colors in a different way   
You make what doesn't matter fade to grey   
Life is good and that's the way it should be   
You make me sing oh, la, la, la   
You make me go oh oh   
I'm in love, love 

 

_Luka got off the stage and walked slowly over to Marinette, still playing his guitar, with a giant smile plastered on his face. He stood over her as she wrapped her arms around his neck, careful to not disrupt his playing. Their gaze became so soft and sweet, absolutely melting the world around them. Luka continued with the song, his voice happy as ever._

 

Did you see that shooting star tonight?   
Were you dazzled by the same constellation?   
Did you and Jupiter conspire to get me?   
I think you and the Moon and Neptune got it right   
'Cause now I'm shining bright (oh) so bright   
And I get lost (oh) in your eyes   
Did you see that shooting star tonight?   
Were you dazzled by the same constellation?   
Did you and Jupiter conspire to get me?   
I think you and the Moon and Neptune got it right   
I think you and the Moon and Neptune got it right   
I think you and the Moon, you and the Moon, you and the Moon   
Tonight I'm shining bright, so bright   
Bright, so bright   
Bright, so bright   
And I get lost in your eyes tonight 

 

_As he sang the last word he let go of his guitar, swinging it quickly behind his back, and wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her up to press his lips to hers. Around them, everyone cooed with delight at the blue-haired couple. Adrien smiled softly at the duo as he held the maraca he was playing in tune with Luka’s guitar. He had never been so happy for his two friends. A little part of him was a bit jealous; how he wished he could have this with Ladybug. He sighed sadly, knowing full well that his lady wasn’t his anymore; maybe she never was. It had only been three months since Ladybug had confessed to him that she had a boyfriend but it still stung like it did that first night._

 

The bell rung and everyone began cheering loudly. It was the first day of summer finally! Marinette gathered her things as she heard Alya asked her something.   
“So what time are the camera crew showing up at the bakery? I still can’t believe Jagged Stone is going to be baking with your dad! It’s gonna be so cool!” 

 

Marinette giggled at her friend’s excitement. "They should be setting up right now actually. We have to get there right away! Don't wanna miss our big tv debut right? Hey have you seen Luka? He's supposed to come with us." Just as she finished her sentence, the blue boy popped up right behind her and hugged her waist as he spun her around with a cry of joy. Mari giggled at his silliness. When he put her down, he quickly pecked her lips. 

"Ah we're free!" He stretched his arms out widely. His smile fell slightly when he spoke again. "Babe I'm sorry but I won't be able to go to the bakery with you for the Jagged Stone show. My band and I gotta practice for the uh—battle of the bands we got in! Yup but I'll be watching it all!" His voice sounded a little odd and the way he kept glancing at Alya seemed very suspicious but before Marinette could say anything, he swooped her up into his arms and kissed her fiercely, effectively erasing any thoughts she had at that moment. A click from a cellphone caught her attention and once she found her footing again she looked around to find the source. 

Adrien stood a few feet from them, typing away at his phone. "This is definitely an Instagram worthy photo!" Luka laughed as he fist bumped Adrien, his other hand still lingering on Mari's waist. "See you on tv later Marinette!" The two walked away and got into the car his bodyguard was waiting for them in. Alya turned towards Marinette who continued staring at the car, though who exactly she was staring at was a little unclear. 

"I take it that the Marinette compass still hasn't set its course huh?" Her words were playful but her tone was serious. Alya could tell that even though her bff swore up and down that she was over her crush on Adrien, she wasn't so sure about that. 

"I've told you already Alya, there's only one statue that drives this compass crazy!" Alya raised her brow but said nothing as they made their way to her mother's car. Whether she wanted to or not, Alya was definitely going to have to talk to Mari about this, but for now their main focus was the cooking show.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shiiiiitttt the next chapter is gonna be so good I'm genuinely hella excited to write my own lil version of how I would want Troublemaker to go haha. Enjoy this chapter lovelies! sorry it's a lil short :p


	6. Lukanette Date #1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Game night to get to know the squad

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so a couple of people have messaged me saying things like 'omg I wanted more Lukanette dates!' 'I feel robbed of Lukanette dates' and some even asking how Adrien became such a huge Lukanette shipper. SO before I go into my own version of how I would like Troublemaker to play out, I'm gonna fill in the blanks for y'all with a few short chapters! So here's Lukanette date numero uno! Enjoy <3

“I got it!” Marinette called out to the Couffaine siblings, who were helping set up the various snacks for their game night. Standing at the door were Alya and Nino, who seemed to be carrying a game of twister. Marinette raised her brow.

“Clearly you didn’t learn your lesson last time Lahiffe,” She taunted.

“Oh no you’re definitely going down this time Dupain-Cheng,” Nino retaliated as Alya rolled her eyes.

“You two are worse than the twins.”

“Babe, no, you don’t understand. I’ve totally got this this time. I’ve been practicing!” Nino decided to demonstrate his abilities by doing a cartwheel into the bakery. The girls bodies shook uncontrollably with laughter. They headed off upstairs to join Juleka and Luka, who were arguing over something with passion.

“For the last time Luka! I’m not gonna ask Rose out! She’s just—she’s just a friend!” The purple-haired girl turned bright red as she spoke. Luka’s eyebrows were positioned quizzically.

“Yeah sure Jules I’m totally gonna believe that. You practically have heart eyes every time she’s around. Help me out here Mari!” Luka looked toward his girlfriend and realized she wasn’t alone. “Oh, uh hi! Sorry about that. I’m Luka,” he said as he nervously held his hand out towards Nino. Nino took his hand and pulled him into a half hug, half shoulder pat. Luka looked awkward but went along with it anyway. He held his hand out to Alya and she shook it cautiously.

“Sooo you’re Marinette’s new statue huh?” Luka looked at Alya confused and Marinette stepped between them, waving her arms around crazily.

“Heyyy sooo who wants croissants?! My papa baked them fresh just for tonight! Mmm deliciousness,” she took a huge bite out of one as she shoved another into Alya’s mouth, shooting her a look of warning in the process.

Rose arrived a few minutes after Alya and Nino, making Luka look suggestively at his sister, which made Juleka throw a croissant at his head.

"Alright so let's get started guys!" Marinette announced as she took a seat next to Luka. Luka immediately wrapped his arms around her middle and kissed her cheek, causing her to giggle.

"Wait M we gotta wait for my bro Adrien. He said his old man actually let him come over." Nino took out his phone to send a quick text to Adrien about his arrival.

Marinette's heart flew up to her throat. She had forgotten that she invited Adrien when he overheard her telling Alya about her plan to have a game night with her friends so they could get to know her new beau. Luka and Marinette had only been dating three weeks but since he was starting school with them tomorrow, she decided it would be easier for him to adjust if he already had friends going there. But inviting Adrien wasn't part of the plan. She still wasn't so sure what she felt towards him now that she was with Luka. Obviously she knew her feelings for Luka were real and that her silly crush on Adrien was nothing more than that, but still. That tiny voice in her head was insistent that she wasn't over the blond haired boy who held her heart for almost a year. She shook herself off, no way was she going to let her internal torment ruin the night. Before she could say anything the doorbell rung once more. Nino went downstairs after he noticed that Mari was already comfortable.

Adrien walked into the room with Alix trailing behind him. Marinette scanned behind them and furrowed her brows together.

"Hey Alix, where's Ivan and Mylene? I thought the three of you were coming here together?"

Alix shrugged. "Yeah we were but I guess Mylene had to go home right away and Ivan went with her. Goldilocks here picked me up from the park after I texted him." Alix pushed Adrien playfully and he looked at her amused.

"Whatever _munchkin._ We'll see if you'll get a ride back home with that attitude." Everyone laughed as Alix's face became mortified at Adrien's words.

 

Three rounds of Heads Up, Adrien and Marinette were tied for first place. Alix was sitting bitterly on the couch. She had been determined to beat Adrien in something all night, claiming that he wasn't going to win like he did at the arcade. It was Luka's turn to guess. The category you ask? Music, of course. Now the rules were simple, you couldn't sing the song if the clue was a song title but you could sing if the clue was an artist, but it must be a lesser known song of said artist.

First clue was "Take on me" by a-ha.

Adrien practically flew over Marinette's lap to reach the sunglasses that were on the table beside her. Mari let out a yelp of surprise and blushed a fiery red. Adrien grabbed the glasses and put them on as he turned around and began to shimmy his shoulders before turning to look at Luka, wiggling his eyebrows up and down.

"OH! Take on me by a-ha!" Luka cried out as he flipped the tablet down.

"How in the ever living fuck did you guess that Luka?" Alix groaned. She was done, so done with their shit. "It's like you read each other's minds it's totally unfair!"

"Not my fault you're not cultured in vines Alix." Adrien was totally milking it and everyone knew it. Something about his behavior seemed so different, he was almost completely free. To do whatever he wanted without having to worry about anything.

Next clue: Nirvana

Marinette immediately started singing Lithium. "I like it, I'm not gonna crack. I miss you, I'm not gonna crack. I love--" she stopped mid-lyric, a flush rushing to her cheeks. She was about to say the L-word to her boyfriend in front of all of her friends. Luka blushed furiously but thankfully he guessed Nirvana and continued with the game.

The last clue was Phantom of the Opera. Alix immediately started covering her face with her hands at Luka.

"Uh Poker Face? Lady Gaga? Uhhhh." Luka was so lost and with only ten seconds left to guess and Adrien and Marinette tied yet again, Adrien knew he had to take action. He grabbed for Marinette's hand and held it up to his face, pulling her up from the couch and too close to be considered platonic. Marinette froze with her eyes wide. Alya and Nino both had their mouths wide open as Adrien began to sing ever so tenderly.

"Say you love me every waking moment,  
Turn my head with talk of summertime.  
Say you need me with you now and always;  
Promise me that all you say is true,  
That's all I ask of you."

The moment was broken wen Luka shouted, "PHANTOM OF THE OPERA!" and slammed the tablet down. the game beeped and marked the end of the round. Adrien released Mari and went over to fist bump Luka, both of them cheering about his victory, neither of them noticing the frozen blue-haired girl. Alya stood up and grabbed Mari by the arm and lead her towards the kitchen.

"Marinette! Why don't you help me get some more drinks hmm?" The two girls rushed out of the room and out of ear-shot. "Marinette! Earth to Mari!" Her bff waved frantically in front of her face to no avail. "Girl you've still got it bad for Adrien don't you?" Her words came out soft but the meaning behind them cut deeply into her heart. Marinette couldn't speak, so she just nodded as tears began to pool up in her eyes. "Hey sh it's okay to be confused Marinette, but you've gotta let Luka know. He deserves to know."

"NO!" Marinette said a little too loudly. She looked around to make sure no one had come to check on them before she continued. "No I can't tell Luka! Alya he's my first boyfriend and he's--he's just super amazing and--and Adrien only sees me as a friend! That's all we'll ever be. I have to move on." Her voice sounded stronger than she felt. Alya sighed and pulled her into a hug. They reached into the fridge and pulled out a pitcher of lemonade and headed back to their group.

"So that's how I decided to make Ms. Bustier a scrapbook for her birthday tomorrow!" Rose cried out cheerfully.

"OH MY GOD THAT'S TOMORROW!!! I NEED TO GO SORRY GUYS!" Marinette rushed up her stairs and closed her bedroom door. She rushed to her sewing station and after a couple seconds she cried out again and took the stairs three at a time. "I'm sorry guys! That was rude sorry so sorry!" She went on and hugged everyone goodbye. When she got to Adrien, she hesitated. He had his arms open for a hug but once she stepped into them, it felt off. Like she didn't belong there. it was awkward but over before she could show how uncomfortable she was.

"Goodbye babe." Luka pressed a light kiss to her lips and she was over the moon. This felt right, _he_ felt right. She wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed him tight. His laughter was angelic pressed up to her ears. He kissed her one more time before he followed his sister and her not-girlfriend out the door. Marinette ran back upstairs to try to finish up her present that she was going to be giving her favorite teacher tomorrow morning.


	8. Zombizou Coda

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a Captain Hardrock coda I know! But I couldn't resist adding Luka into the whole Zombizou mess lol.
> 
> Also, some Ladynoir angst with some Marichat friendship development!

Luka sat next to a blonde pigtailed girl. Judging by the blush on her cheeks and the sudden skips in her heartbeat, she definitely thought he was cute. Luka smirked at her but only nodded as a greeting. Sure she was pretty but there was only one pigtailed girl he was crazy for. Ms. Mendeleiev stood at the front of the class, reading off names from her clipboard. Just as she got to his name, the door to their classroom burst open. A frantic red-haired boy slammed the door shut with excessive force. 

 

“I need to hide please!” The boy was shaking with fear. He ran to the back of the room where Luka was seated. Upon closer inspection Luka realized the boy was Nathanael, a good friend of his sister. Before Ms. Mendeleiev could say anything their door burst open of its hinges. A colorful figure stood in front of the room. 

 

“Is Chloe Bourgeois in here?!” The woman, who looked strangely familiar, said. 

 

“How dare you interrupt my class?! Who are you?!!” cried Ms. Mendeleiev. 

 

“No? Oh well, smoochies my poochies!” The villain blew black kisses around the room, hitting everyone, including their teacher, on the cheek. Luka managed to dodge them and ran out the back door, tomato haired boy with him. It was a reflex, save the nearest person to him. He could never quite figure out why he would always do so but it was too late to think about it now. He looked around and saw that multiple students were walking around in a trance, saying “kissou” over and over again. He witnessed someone trying to get away, only to be tackled from behind. When they rose again, their eyes were bright pink and they too began to chant. 

Luka had to find Marinette. He had to protect her from the akuma. His heart sank every second he thought about his Mari falling under a kissing spell. Jealously pooled into his stomach but he shook it off as quickly as it came. No, if Marinette was kissing other people right now it was not her fault. Hawkmoth was the only one to blame. He had gotten to his mother, his siste,r but he’d be damned if he was going to get to his girlfriend. The two boys ran to Ms. Bustier’s class only to find three students already affected by the akuma villain. 

 

“Ivan,” Luka’s voice cracked. Ivan sat there with dead pink eyes, Pickering his lips repeatedly to the air. Once he said his name the boy broke free from their tape prison and lunged towards them. Luka jumped backwards from him and slammed the door on his face. He grabbed Nat who was practically frozen with fear. Luka ran them both towards the locker room, hoping Marinette was there at least. He reached for the door handle but it opened suddenly. A black figure crashed into them both, sending Nat flying across the courtyard. 

 

“Ahhhh,” Chat Noir cries as he backflipped to regain his balance. “You need to get out of here!” He motioned towards the group of zombified kids coming towards them. 

 

“No I need to find Marinette! I’ve got to protect her!” Chat looked at Luka sadly. Chat was right, he knew he was being irrationale but if he had to fight alongside Paris' superheroes to save his girl, well so be it. A figure appeared behind Chat that he didn’t notice right away. “CHAT NOIR!” Luka had to think fast. He grabbed Chat by the shoulders and used him as a boost to jump over his head, letting Nat cling onto his back, immediately kissing down his neck. 

 

Luka felt warmer with every kiss Nat planted on him. But he was still in control. He held onto Nat’s arms once he pushed Chat away from him. 

 

“Please, you have to—you have to save Marinette please,” Luka begged. 

Chat’s eyes were wide and sad. “I will,” he said determinedly. He took off running towards the exit of the school, skillfully dodging the zombified students. 

 

Luka threw Nat over his shoulder to the floor. His body was hot all over, his vision became a bright pink. He fought as hard as he could but before he knew it, in a blink of an eye he began to chant. 

 

“Kissouuuu” 

 

 

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

 

 

Ladybug sat atop the same bridge that Chat Noir had confessed his love for her. It had become their regular meeting place before going on patrol. Her yo-yo sat firmly on her hip. There would be no patrol tonight. She made no attempt to call Chat Noir, afraid to face him after the events that transpired today. All the words of everyone who trusted her blindly today came flooding into her mind. 

 

_Besides you’ll save all of us, like you always do, right?_

_I totally trust you, Ladybug!_

_Just go, and save us all._

_You’re the only one who can fix this for us!_

 

Over and over again the words of her friends repeated in her head, teasing her. Sure, she was the one who could purify the akumas, that was her power after all. Those feelings she felt when she first became Ladybug crept back into her being. The feeling of not being good enough, of failing everyone she loved. _Oh._ The breath got knocked out of her once she thought the word love. Luka. Luka had found her once her miraculous ladybugs had returned everything back to normal. He had been in hysterics, eyes welled up with tears. “I couldn’t protect you” he kept saying into her hair. She tried to reassure him that she was fine, being under an akuma spell wasn’t new to her but, still, he felt guilty. 

 

“I even let Nathanael kiss me so that Chat wouldn’t get hit, so that maybe, if I couldn’t help you, I knew that Ladybug and Chat Noir could.” His voice had sounded so sad and defeated. Marinette had kissed his lips fiercely, reminding him that her kisses belonged to him and him only. 

 

Ladybug’s eyes filled with tears as her breath became shorter. She didn’t know why everyone, her boyfriend included, trusted her so much. They didn’t even know her! They didn’t know that behind the mask was a simple girl who got flustered easily and was terminally clumsy. The pressure was getting to her again and she couldn’t help the tears that fell down her cheeks. 

 

Once she started crying, she couldn’t stop. She choked on her tears. Her breaths coming out hysterical. She felt herself falling deeper and deeper into a panic attack. Before it could completely engulf her she felt strong arms wrap around her. Chat cooed calming words into her ear. Reassuring her that he wasn’t going anywhere, that he was there no matter what. After a while, Ladybug managed to bring her cries to mere hiccups. 

 

“Hey bug-a-boo,” Chat said softly. He held her gently in his lap and she felt safe. She felt warm and comfortable. Ladybug looked up at him and cupped his cheek, much like she had when he got kissed earlier today. “Wanna tell me what’s going on?” 

 

“Today just—it just brought some things into perspective Chat. All those people trusting me so carelessly? Putting all their faith into my abilities to save them even when they fell into the hands of the akuma while I was right next to them. I tried—I tried so hard to save them all but I—I couldn’t stop them from getting kissed. The pressure to save everyone is getting to me Chat. I—I just don’t know if I can do this anymore.” Ladybug’s eye filled with tears again as she talked, her voice sounded smaller than Chat had ever heard before. It broke his heart to see that look of defeat on his lady’s face. 

 

Chat squared his shoulders and looked directly into Ladybug’s eyes. “M’lady don’t you for a second think this all falls onto you. I’m here. I’m your partner. You don’t need to carry this burden all on yourself. Share some of that with me. I know that you want to save everyone but you can’t Ladybug, though you try. I know better than anyone what it’s like to feel that type of pressure, to save everyone. Today Lu—ah a blue haired boy used his very last pure breath to beg me to save his girlfriend, and I couldn’t. She got hit and I couldn’t even find her. So don’t you dare think you’re alone in this M'lady, I’m here; always.” Chat’s eye filled with tears as well. Ladybug stroked the side of his face gently before burying her face into the crook of his neck, hugging him tightly. He wrapped his arms around her tightly. They stayed in the embrace for a long while before Ladybug had to push him back a little. 

 

“Thanks Kitty. That really helped. I’ll try to remember that next time I feel this way,” Ladybug kissed his cheek before she could think twice about it. 

 

Chat’s eyes widened. He smirked at her devilishly. “Giving me those kisses you promised me, eh M’lady?” It was just supposed to be a joke. A light teasing banter between partners. Ladybug knew how Chat was, she should’ve let it go but her mind drifted to a certain blue-haired boy. And the unspoken ‘I’m yours’ their kisses said. 

 

“I have a boyfriend!” She blurted out before she could stop herself 

.   
It was Chat’s turn to have a look of complete heartbreak. Boyfriend? Had he heard that correctly? Someone had laid claim on his lady’s heart, but it wasn’t him. He stared at here, dumbfounded for a long time. 

 

“Sorry Chat. I—I didn’t mean to. I mean! I’m sorry I told you this way but...you had to know sooner or later.” Ladybug’s stare was full of sympathy it hurt him more than anything else. Chat turned his head away, swallowing the lump that formed in his throat. 

 

“Boyfriend huh? It’s the guy you mentioned before?” His voice sounded strained, like he was trying so hard to hold back the tears that threatened to fall from his eyes. 

 

“No uh I mean yes! Him mhm.” 

 

Chat tried his best to muster up a smile to his face. He chuckled darkly. “Does—does he at least make you happy?” 

 

“Yes.” Was all she said but it was enough to shatter his heart to smithereens. 

 

“Well that—that’s important. Hm um yeah good. I’m happy for you Ladybug. I’ve gotta go sorry.” Chat jumped to the nearest building before Ladybug could stop him. He ran blindly, tears streaming down his face, clouding his vision. _Boyfriend boyfriend boyfriend she has a boyfriend_ his mind repeated to his already broken heart. He couldn’t stop the sobs from escaping his lips. He kept running. Running, jumping, flipping; just focusing on anything that wasn’t the searing pain in his chest. The sobs quieted as his heart sped up with adrenaline. He figured if he couldn’t stop the pain he’d ignore it with a rush of endorphins. He wouldn’t think about her bluebell eyes. He wouldn’t think about how her pigtails moved every time they fought against a villain. He wouldn’t think about the way her laugh sounded when he made a joke she actually found funny. 

That was it. The memory of her laughter stopped him dead in his tracks, gasping for breath. He looked up at the building he stopped in front of, hoping someone could give him a glass of water or a new heart. The Dupain-Cheng bakery was dark inside but the light on the balcony above signaled that someone was still awake. With the last of his strength Chat jumped onto the balcony, the Deja-vu he felt was strong but he passed out cold on the floor before he could give it a second thought. 

 

Chat woke to a damp towel on his forehead and a cup of water being coaxed to his lips. 

 

“Drink up Chat. It’s okay. I got you.” Marinette’s face came into his vision. Her eyes seemed worried but her hold on him felt strong. He cuddled into her, feeling her warmth. 

 

“Thank you Marinette. I guess I tired myself out huh?” It should’ve come out as light and teasing but instead it came out broken and dry. He brought the cup closer to his lips and drank greedily, making a point to close his eyes as he did so. He didn't want to see Marinette's eyes, didn't wanna see the pity in them. The last thing he needed was to be reminded why he was exhausting himself beyond his powers. No, what he needed was a distraction. 

"This is gonna sound weird but mind if we talk about you?" He asked when he noticed she was starting to ask him what had happened. She smiled at him sadly but nodded. 

"Whatcha wanna know kitty?" 

Chat racked his brain for their conversation they had on this very balcony on that night that seemed so long ago. Lightbulb! "How's my princess' heart? Did that boy who broke your heart ever realize what he was missing out on?" 

Marinette blushed a bright red. "No silly kitty, Adrien sees me as a friend...and as I much as I wished for him to see me differently...that's all we'll ever be," she sighed sadly. "But it's all okay! I have a boyfriend now! And—and since then Adrien have become better friends." She was trying so hard to play it cool but Chat could see right through her. Her heart was hurting and it was his fault. 

"You—you still like him don't you?" Chat murmured softly. He knew he was treading on thin ice but he had to know. Why? Because, he had to fix this; fix the mess he made. A mess he wasn't even aware that he had made, but he was determined to clean it up anyway. He wouldn't be the cause of a heartbreak, cause he knew how horrible it felt. 

Marinette dropped her head and turned it away from Chat. In the soft moonlight Chat could see the silver tear that fell down her cheek and onto the floor. His heart ached for the bluenette but he waited for her response. "I'm a horrible liar," was all she managed to say before she began to cry quietly. She wrapped her arms around her middle and scooted away from Chat. 

"Hey, hey it's okay princess. It's okay if you still like him, it's—it's not your fault that your heart is so big it had room for two loves," he conceded. "It'll get easier with time trust me. You've got a boyfriend and I'm sure he treats you swell! You'll be over that Adrien dude in no time." Chat crawled behind her and held her shoulders, like he was giving her a pep talk. He laughed to himself at the irony of the situation. Here he was giving his best friend advice to deal with her broken heart that he gave to her, while being heartbroken himself. Her shoulder shook with laughter as she moved to look at him. Her clear blue eyes were shining in the moonlight. She bit her lip in thought. 

_Just a friend_ Chat scolded his mind when he felt a sudden blush rush to his cheeks. _She's just a friend!_

 

"Thank you for making me feel better, Chat. Is—is there anything I can do to help you? I know you don't want to talk about it but," the end of the sentence was left to him. Her eyes were watching him carefully. He tried to reply to her but with the way she was looking at him, he couldn't really think straight. _Oh no no no no._ He couldn't do this to Luka, to Marinette! He had his chance but that was long gone, besides...did he even want it? No, of course not! Chat shook his head to clear it a little. He looked at her with his signature smirk. 

 

"Have any croissants laying around?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all know I had to give my tomato son some justice. Also I'm hoping this sorta clears up why Adrien is #1 Lukanette stan lol


	9. Karaoke Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basically another Lukanette date but with Adrigami and others!

To say that Chat was getting more annoyed by Ladybug cancelling their patrols every week would be an understatement. Most of the time he took on the responsibility by himself, not much had happened but when an akuma did strike, the phrase "I'm missing my date for this" never seemed to fail to rear its ugly little head. Chat tried so hard to not let his feelings get in the way of their duties though, they were superheroes after all. He took comfort in randomly crashing dates between Marinette and Luka. He had gotten a lot closer to Mari as Chat as she comforted him throughout his whole heartbreak over Ladybug having a boyfriend. As time went on he found that Marinette could talk in full sentences around him, which was a good thing, it meant her feelings for him were gone. Adrien was happy that she had moved on because Luka was truly an amazing guy. Together they gushed about the dates Luka planned taking Mari on, sometimes he would even ask Adrien for a little help. Most recently he helped put together a small surprise for their four-month anniversary. When Luka asked him to sing backup for him he was more than happy to do so. Now when Luka texted him that day, telling Adrien to stall Marinette because he was running late, that's when things got a little tricky. 

 

Getting a makeshift stage set up in front of the school? Easy. Gathering the necessary instruments and equipment for the serenade? No problem. Keeping it all a secret from Mari? Piece of cake. Distracting Mari long enough for Luka and everyone else to set up? Not so much. He had no idea how exactly he would be able to keep her busy but he figured he would make it up as he went. 

 

When he saw Marinette packing up, and he had yet to figure out how to distract her, he knew he had to act quickly. He slammed his hand on her sketchbook making her squeal in surprise. They were the only ones left in the room, all alone together. He smiled nervously at her, hoping she wouldn't notice. Her wide eyes stared at him as she blushed slightly, probably realizing the same thing as he did. 

 

"Hey Marinette can I ask you something?" He asked innocently. 

 

"Yes, of course. Anything," she said too enthusiastically. The look of hope in her eyes almost broke his heart. He knew that hope so well, it was the same hope he had in his heart when he had confessed his love to Ladybug. Four months and she was still waiting for him to come around and notice her. And how could he not? She was smart, beautiful, talented and oh so kind. His heart started to beat irregularly in his chest as she kept staring at him with those bluebell eyes. There was that feeling again, that feeling in his gut that told him to just reach out and kiss her. He hated himself for feeling this way towards his best friend, who was not just taken but taken by his other friend. Adrien shook himself mentally. No, he would not do this to Luka, nor Marinette. It wasn't fair to either of them. He had his chance but now it was too late and he'd be damned if he broke the heart of two people he cared for dearly for his own personal feelings. 

 

Shoving all emotions aside he spoke. "Could you help me make a dress for Kagami? It’s her birthday next week and I wanna get her something special so I thought I’d ask you since you’re so good at making things. Here’s a rough design sketch I made if that helps.” Adrien’s voice rose several octaves, his smile becoming more and more forced. 

 

The smile fell from Marinette's lips as she stared down at the paper he handed her. He saw her move her head slightly, as if she was trying to hold herself together. Adrien almost pulled back the paper and confessed to her how he really felt. Luka be damned. But before he could make possibly the worst mistake of his life and cost him two friendships, she spoke confidently. 

 

"Sure just—just give me her measurements and I'll be happy to help you," she grabbed the paper from his hand and shoved it into her bag without a second thought. Adrien's phone rang then, a message from Luka, telling him everything was good to go. 

 

“Okay! We can go now! Uhh I mean, thanks Marinette I appreciate it gotta go bye!” He ran outside the door so fast before Marinette got a chance to say anything. He ran to the front of the school and took his place beside Luka. Luka smiled at him appreciatively and Adrien had to advert his eyes to keep from showing how guilty he felt about what he almost confessed to the blue-haired boy's girlfriend. Soon Marinette appeared in front of the exit as Luka began to strum the first notes of the song he chose. 

 

Adrien's voice joined Luka's on the first chorus as he played the maracas gently along with the song. Marinette's sole focus was on Luka and her eyes were filled with such love Adrien faltered the words a bit. He had never seen someone with so much emotion in their eyes, aside from him when he looked at Ladybug. His heart broke all over again once he realized that he had lost his chance with two girls at the same time. Ladybug had a boyfriend and so did Marinette. For the millionth time since he had found out about her feelings she had once for him, Adrien cursed himself for being so blind. Luka got off stage and walked slowly toward Marinette. Without hesitation she wrapped her arms around his neck, careful not to disrupt his guitar playing. The duo stared at each other as if the whole world fell away and left only them. Adrien stared at them with ever-growing jealousy. He stopped singing suddenly, not trusting his voice any longer. When Luka sang the last words, he swung his guitar quickly behind his back and lifted Mari off her feet to press a gentle kiss to her lips. Adrien smiled softly at them. He was happy for them he truly was, he just couldn't get passed the envy he had in his heart. Oh, how he wished to kiss the lips of his lady, but she wasn't his lady anymore...maybe, he thought bitterly, she never was. 

 

Now here he was a week later, annoyed as ever that Ladybug had cancelled yet another patrol together. However, this time, he was glad to have the night off. His friends had invited him to karaoke night at their favorite café and his new friend Michael was able to once again convince his father to let him go. Over the past few months Michael had reached out to him from time to time and answered any questions Adrien had about his mother. There was one question that he never would answer however. 'How come my father listens to you when he takes orders from no one?' Michael would always give the same half-assed excuse about how Emilie was his best friend in school and the only person who knew Emilie better than Gabriel did. Adrien was never entirely content with that answer but it would do for now. After getting dressed in his usual disguise with a beanie and thick-rimmed glasses, Adrien headed out of the door to his car where his bodyguard waited for him. Everyone else had gone straight to the café after school, but Adrien had to go home and go incognito. The buzz from his perfume ad had worn down but he still didn't want a night out with his friends to get interrupted by crazed fans. He arrived to the café and joined his friends when Luka waved him over to their booth. 

 

"Glad you could make it Adrien," Luka winked at him knowingly. Adrien laughed as everyone looked at them confused. 

 

"Michael," was all Adrien said before everyone oohh'd in unison. Everyone knew how Luka pretty much gave Adrien a social life the moment he had introduced Michael to Gabriel. Ever since then Adrien was allowed to go more places with his friends and he was so grateful each time. He didn't know how he could ever pay Luka back for the kindness he had showed him. They all fell into casual conversations as the waiter brought over their drinks and a few snacks to munch on. Karaoke was about to start when an announcement was made over the intercom. 

 

"Just a reminder to everyone, due to our lovely owner's recent engagement we have decided to change the theme for this Karaoke night from Throwback Thursday night to Couples Karaoke!" Adrien practically choked on his drink at the announcement. He looked around him and had only just realized how screwed he was. All of his friends sitting with him were taken, Nino had Alya, Luka had Mari, Kim had Max, and Juleka had Rose, which had happened some time ago not to anyone's surprise though. The only other single at their table was Alix. Adrien shot a look of confusion to his friend Nino. Nino just sighed dramatically. 

 

"Seriously dude what even is the point of having a phone if you don't ever check it?" 

 

"Well at least I'm not the only single one here. Maybe Alix and I can just duet together," Adrien proposed. 

 

Alix shook her head at him. "Seriously dude you really need to check your phone more often. I'm officially off the market, sorry to disappoint you blondie," she laughed. Before Adrien could ask who had managed to steal her heart, a familiar red-head showed up in front of their booth. Nathanael waved at everyone as he took a seat next to Alix. He sheepishly took her hand into his and blushed. Adrien's mouth flew wide open. Shy, reserved Nathanael with firecracker Alix? He really did have to check his phone more often. 

 

"Would you all excuse me a second?" Adrien fled from the booth with lightning speed as he pulled out his phone and dialed a number. 

 

The phone rang three times before he heard a breathless, "Hello?" 

 

"Hey uh so weird question. How fast can you come to the Sweet Bean Café?" 

 

Kagami's laughter could be heard on the other end of the phone. "You really need to work on how you ask me out on dates Agreste. I'll be there in fifteen minutes." 

 

 

Sure enough, in fifteen minutes on the dot, Kagami showed up to the café in the very same dress that Adrien had gifted her for her birthday. Adrien still couldn't believe how stunning the dress had turned out. When Marinette had given the dress to him he took a peek at it and praised her profusely. Kagami's eyes had sparkled with joy when he gave her the present yesterday. Once she reached to where he as standing he gave her a peck on the cheek and led her towards his group of friends. 

 

"Hey guys! Look who decided to join us finally!" Everyone looked up to see Kagami on Adrien's arms and the first to say something was, surprisingly, Nino. 

 

"Heyyyy when did this happen huh? Nice dress by the way K!" 

 

Adrien stuttered before Kagami saved him the embarrassment. "We only just started seeing each other recently. You're Nino I presume? Adrien has told me so much about you." Everyone else introduced themselves but when Kagami got to Luka, she froze. Her eyes went wide, as did his. "L—Luka?" She stuttered out. Marinette and Adrien both looked at their blue-haired partners in confusion. 

 

"Uh do you two know each other?" Adrien finally said. 

 

"NO!" Kagami and Luka shouted in unison. "Um I mean yes we—we use to go to the same school before Luka became home-schooled. It's—it's good to see you again Luka. You too Juleka!" Kagami seemed so nervous but the absolute look of horror on Luka's face was worse. 

 

"Ye—yeah goood to um see you too! This is my girlfriend Marinette!" Luka blurted a little too loudly. Marinette looked at him with concern but he refused to look at her. 

 

Giving up she held her hand out to Kagami. "Nice to meet you formally this time Kagami. I never got the chance to apologize for my misjudgment on the fencing match between you and Adrien. So sorry about that." God bless Mari and her desire to keep the peace. If it weren't for the fact that there were tons of witnesses, one of them being his date and theother the boy Mari was in a relationship with, he would've kissed her right then. 

 

"Oh, don't even worry about that Marinette. Adrien explained it all that day so there's nothing to forgive. I've been excited to meet you as well. Adrien speaks so highly of you." Kagami seemed to have ignored the fact that Luka had gone pale white and completely silent. Adrien sat across from them with Kagami to his left, sitting directly in front of Luka. The two made a clear point to not look at each other which concerned him but he knew better than to ask Kagami anything personal in front of others. Their conversations were interrupted when a voice began speaking on the microphone onstage. 

 

"Alright everybody we've got quite a few people who signed up to sing so we'll be calling you all in order. First up, give a round of applause to Nino and Alya who'll be performing 'You're the one that I want'." Alya grabbed her boyfriend's hand and rushed them up the stage. Their performance was comical yet heart-warming, ending with a small kiss between the couple. Everyone cheered and clapped for them. Time went on and soon it was Luka and Marinette's turn to be called to the stage. Mari's face was beet red but once Luka grabbed onto her hand and the music began to flow out of the speakers, she looked utterly confident as Luka began singing. 

 

_I remember what you wore on the first date_  
You came into my life and I thought hey   
You know, this could be something   
'Cause everything you do and words you say   
You know that it all takes my breath away   
And now I'm left with nothing 

Marinette's soft voice joined in. Luka smiled down at her, still holding her hand but he raised it up ever so gently toward his heart. Adrien smiled at them fondly. His focus was disrupted when he saw Kagami's body tense up. he tapped her shoulder but she shrugged it off and shook her head vigorously. 

 

_Maybe it's true that I can't live without you_  
And maybe two is better than one   
But there's so much time to figure out the rest of my life   
And you've already got me coming undone   
And I'm thinking two is better than one 

_I remember every look upon your face_  
The way you roll your eyes, the way you taste   
You make it hard for breathing   
Cause when I close my eyes and drift away   
I think of you and everything's okay   
I'm finally now believing 

Luka spun Marinette around and she let out a giggle which was immediately cut off when Luka pulled her body flush to his. He sang in a lower note as he rested his forehead on hers, staring deeply into her eyes with a steamy smile on his lips. Alya groaned aloud and everyone turned to look at her as if she hd grown a third eye. "What? I can't be the only one so done with their cuteness. I mean, Nino and I are cute but those two? They're downright adorable!" Everyone burst out into laughter and nodded their heads in agreement. Kagami was the only one who was stone quiet. Adrien shot her a look of concern but she shot him down once more. He reached under the table and curled his fingers with hers and gave a tight squeeze. She smiled at him softly and leaned back onto him. Immediately he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and rested his head on hers. 

 

_So maybe it's true that I can't live without you_  
And maybe two is better than one   
But there's so much time to figure out the rest of my life   
And you've already got me coming undone   
And I'm thinking two is better than one 

  
I remember what you wore on the first date   
You came into my life and I thought, hey (hey, hey) 

Marinette and Luka swayed ever so gently to the song as the continued to stare deeply into each other's eyes. Mari's smile was brighter than the sun and Luka was enjoying every minute that they had on stage. 

 

_Maybe it's true that I can't live without you_  
And maybe two is better than one   
But there's so much time to figure out the rest of my life   
And you've already got me coming undone   
And I'm thinking two is better than one 

_And I'm thinking, ooh, I can't live without you_  
'Cause, baby, two is better than one   
There's so much time to figure out the rest of my life   
But I'll figure out with all that's said and done   
Two is better than one, two is better than one 

 

All too soon the song ended and the blue-haired couple was shot back into reality when they heard loud cheering and soft cooing coming from the crowd. The two blushed deeply when everyone began chanting "kiss" over and over. Luka grabbed onto Mari's waist and lifted her slightly to plant a firm kiss on her lips. When the two broke apart, Luka's pupils were blown out so much the blue iris were barely visible. Marinette blushed as she leaned in to kiss him once more before they headed off stage. All their friends immediately teased the couple once they got to their table. 

 

"Y'all really didn't have to be so sickeningly sweet though," Nino laughed. 

 

"Yeah it gave me several cavities. I'll be sending you guys my dentist bill," Alix joked as Nath giggled furiously next to her. 

 

"Ha who knew my hardcore punk of a brother could be such a widdle softy?" Juleka proclaimedclaimed to everyone's delight. She might be quiet most of the time but when it came to banter with her brother, she was the loudest one. 

 

"Oh shut it Jules. I'm still metal af I just got a little soft spot for my Ma-ma-Marinette here," Luka cooed at Mari. She launched a french fry into his face as she doubled over in laughter. 

 

"Ohmygod let that go please." 

 

"I have to use the restroom," Kagami announced in a terse voice. She practically sprinted out of her seat, her features contorted in disgust, pointed directly at Luka. No one spoke for a few minutes, afraid to break the awkward silence. 

 

Of course it would be Alya to be the first to speak up. "What's up with her? Why does she seem so angry at you Luka?" Oh, Alya, ever the reporter. Her need to find out the truth never seemed to rest. 

 

"I don't know honestly! I've gotta go too. Those nachos aren't sitting well with me." Luka got up and walked hastily in the direction Kagami had gone in. Adrien shot Mari a look of confusion but she just answered with a shrug. Adrien stood up and excused himself before disappearing towards the bar. Marinette wanted to join him because she was seriously in need of another iced chai tea but decided against it. He returned with a jug of water and several cups for everyone. Kagami and Luka returned shortly after. Both of them refused to look at one another. Slowly but surely everyone fell into comfortable conversations once more. Suddenly the host of the night began speaking on the microphone. 

 

"We have one more performance for the night. It's not a duet." Everyone voiced their confusion. It was couples night after all. How could they sing without it being a duet? "Hold on everyone ha-ha! I'd like you all to give a round of applause for the one, the only...Adrien Agreste!" The whole table turned towards the stage with wide eyes. There stood Adrien, minus the beanie and glasses, with an acoustic guitar in his hand. He smiled towards the crowd and spoke clearly into the mic. Luka gave him a thumbs up and gave a shy grin towards Marinette. 

 

"I'd like to dedicate this song to a special someone in the audience." 

 

He began playing the first notes of the song. Kagami sat straight up in her seat once she heard Adrien's voice coming through the microphone. She had heard this song before, had heard this same voice not too long ago, it was still fresh in her mind. Under her breath she said, "Chat Noir?" 

 

_Give me any reason to believe_  
'Cause I swear I'm done here   
'Cause I've seen a bigger picture   
And I'm looking for some answers 

_Tell me that it's worth it_  
'Cause I'm doing all I can to fight it   
And I've never been this scared   
And my moment's finally here 

_Time's racing (Please slow down)_  
I got to find my way out   
I'm hopeless (But hoping)   
My lungs won't fail me now   
'Cause I'm still breathing 

_It's hard to be a man_  
But I'm doing all I can   
I'm ready to give this all I have   
I'm ready to be amazed   
'Cause I'm standing here alone   
Trying to make this life my own   
And nothing will keep this heart from beating   
I'm still breathing 

 

Kagami got up from her seat and rushed to the stage. She grabbed an extra mic from the speaker on stage and joined in. Adrien immediately shot her a look of confusion but Kagami ignored him and kept going. 

 

_Promise me some dignity_  
If I were to stand and die here   
'Cause my heart is somewhere else   
It's a pain I've never felt 

_Time's racing (Please slow down)  
I got to find my way out   
I'm hopeless (But hoping)   
My lungs won't fail me now   
'Cause I'm still breathing_

 

Adrien continued with the next part. Kagami had walked in front of him and stared into his eyes. He wasn't sure what he saw in them but he suddenly felt very exposed. She tried her very best to convey that she knew his secret, that it was safe with her. But how? How could she let him know that she cared for him so much? 

 

_It's hard to be a man  
But I'm doing all I can   
I'm ready to give this all I have   
I'm ready to be amazed   
'Cause I'm standing here alone   
Trying to make this life my own   
And nothing will keep this heart from beating   
I'm still breathing_

_Where do we all find love?_ Adrien sang, his eyes never leaving Kagami's. 

 

_Where do we all find love?_ Kagami sang softly before getting on her tiptoes to cover Adrien's lips with hers. With that single kiss, he knew. He knew that Kagami knew who he was. How could he be so foolish? he had sung this song outside her window only a few nights ago. He hadn't known she had heard the song. He believed she had opened her window once she heard his cries of sorrow. Adrien kissed her back fiercely, guitar in his arms long forgotten. Once they broke apart, Adrien sang ever so softly. Kagami harmonized with him beautifully. 

_It's hard to be a man_  
But I'm doing all I can   
I'm ready to give this all I have   
I'm ready to be amazed (I'm still breathing)   
'Cause I'm standing here alone   
Trying to make this life my own (I'm still breathing)   
And nothing will keep this heart from beating   
I'm still breathing 

 

 

Everyone in the crowd cheered for the couple once they stopped singing. Nino had tears in his eyes and Alya was recording the whole thing. Everyone cheered and congratulated the couple once they got back to the table. Everyone, well, except for Luka and Marinette. The blue-haired couple smiled politely at the couple but both remained quiet and to themselves for the rest of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I wanna start off by saying I am SO sorry for taking so damn long to update but things got pretty hectic this past week cuz I was getting prepared for DragCon! Ohmygosh guys it was sooo much fun I wanna go back already lmao but anyway yeah this chapter is pretty long but honestly it's bc of the lyrics which I highly recommend listening to!


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